Kyogo bares all over Celtic transfer exit and reveals real reason behind it as Strelec on brink of £9m blockbuster

Emotional Kyogo has revealed he quit Celtic to move to Ligue 1 so he could secure a World Cup spot.

Celtic surprisingly sold the Japanese ace last month in a shock £10million deal to Rennes – and failed to sign a replacement He made his debut at the weekend in a 1-0 win over Strasbourg. Kyogo has twice suffered international heartbreak at Celtic when he was snubbed for both the World Cup in 2022 and the Asian Cup after that. He was recalled last year, however.

And he's told media in his homeland that he is desperate to reach the next World Cup in Canada, USA and Mexico next year. He said: "I think that if I can prove my strength here in France by playing every week I will be called up by the national team again and I will be able to show a different side of myself.

"I cannot claim to be called up with certainty, but if he can demonstrate my ability at Rennes, it definitely adds to my chances. I just want to make an impact here and create chances for my teammates. I'm very pleased we won in my opening game. There are a lot of players in France with very high technical abilities and I know I will challenge myself every day."

Meanwhile, David Strelec looks set to end any hopes the Hoops have of capturing him in the summer after Slovan Bratislava revealed he's on the brink of a £9m transfer elsewhere.

The Slovakian international was strongly linked with a move to the Scottish champions, but Slovan made it clear they wanted big money for the striker. They were at pains to point out they weren't going to sell him last week, but have had a change of heart after increasing interest despite their hefty price tag. And Slovan general director Ivan Kmotrik revealed he expects a deal to go through imminently, with plenty of